April 14th, 1912. Possibly the only historical date I can confidently recite.
The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic has brought the 1997 epic romance back to theatres. It has also, of course, brought back some of the ridicule. People who weren’t smitten with the doomed but liberating love between a trapped, wealthy girl and a free-spirited, poor boy can’t help but point out the flaws in this Oscar-winning, 3 hour, Blockbuster tragedy.
It makes sense. The teen genre has historically been marginalized in popular culture, in similar ways that other genre fiction has been relegated to “B” status. The difference with Titanic, of course is that it hasn’t exactly been marketed as such. And people aren’t used to genre fiction winning so many awards.
But the fact is, this film spoke to my 11 year old heart better than any other movie in the world. It was pitch-perfect: offering a romantic adventure, and the promise that a trapped little girl can grow up to ride horses and fly airplanes, and spit if she wants to, and fall in love, and become her own person.
This historic film speaks to frustrated, teenage emotions. Oscar-winning Blockbuster, of course, epic tragedy, maybe; pre-teen passion, absolutely. Titanic will always have a place in my heart, as a defining pop culture moment in my life.
